Awakenings
by Dragoni
Summary: Rowen almost kills the one most dear to him. Poor Sage! Will everything work out? Shounen-ai... Rowen/Sage R+R please!


Author: Dragoni  
Title: Awakening  
Disclaimers: I do not own Ronin Warriors, even though I wish I did. They belong to whoever created them. I'm a poor student, and am making no money off of this, so please don't sue me. Trust me, it's not worth it.   
Warning: This contains yaoi. That means boy-boy love. If you don't like it, don't read it.  
Other Comments: Criticisms, compliments, flames, or any other sort of feedback are always wanted and appreciated! My e-mail is Magicseel@aol.com.   
  
  
"Arrow..."   
  
The dark warlord glanced up, noting the powerful energies that surrounded the boy, streaming to his magical bow. An out-of-place smirk crossed his features as he quickly calculated how to escape the archer's sure-kill, while taking the least damage himself. He stood to face the boy.  
  
"Shock..."   
  
The sardonic smile deepened. His plan was firmly set in his mind. Nothing could go wrong. The battle noise behind him increased, and he heard a voice yelling his name. /It can wait.../ he thought to himself. /Until I have taken care of this child./ Faster than he expected, a blow came from behind, nearly knocking him to the ground. He saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Wave!"   
  
/Forget the whelp!/ Two Ronins were too many to take at this moment. Instead, he whirled to confront Sage, hissing a single syllable before jumping an impossible distance to safety. He was rewarded with a sudden frightened, comprehending look on the face of the young warrior. "Die..."  
  
The magically charged arrow sped away from the bow, to the place its target had stood not a moment before.   
  
"Move, damn you! Sage! Move!" He knew it was too late. No force would stop his arrow, before it found its mark on the emerald-plated body of his best friend. The sheer force of the impact lifted Sage off the ground, throwing him back into the wall of a deserted building. Like a bundle of rags, he crumpled and fell to the street.  
  
Before he even touched the ground Rowen caught him. Calling on the power of his armor he rose above the melee around him. Maybe the wounds were not as bad as they looked. Maybe Sage'd be alright. /This can't be happening.../ His eyes scanned the ground below for one of the others, and caught sight of Cye, just finishing off one of the evil warriors.  
  
Half-panicked, he reached out to his comrade with his mind, willing words to explain where he was going, what he was doing. Without stopping or even truly caring if Cye understood, he rushed off to Mia's. This was urgent.  
  
  
  
Cye stood over the empty metal shell of his latest opponent and scanned the streets for the next one. The battle seemed to be going fairly well, all in all. Busy, long, certainly... but these attacks had become almost routine. /And in just a moment, a new group will round that corner over there.../ He leaned on his trident slightly...  
  
And was suddenly very glad he did. His mind exploded with feeling, thoughts he could not understand. The sudden impact made him stagger slightly, and he tried to piece together what was happening. It was Rowen, though he could scarcely make out the distinctive thought pattern that told him so. He was trying to tell Cye something, but it was so... incoherent. No clear thoughts came through, only an odd barrage of emotions.  
Fear-pain-worry-doubt-help-disbelief-loathing-confusion-pain-help-hate-doubt-hate-help-fear-worry-help-pain-fear...  
  
It stopped as abruptly as it had begun, leaving him slightly disoriented. Whatever had happened, it was bad. An enemy patrol turned the corner - /Just on schedule,/ he thought cynically - and advanced on him. /I only hope Rowen can handle it alone until the rest of us are free.../  
  
  
  
The house was silent. No one was home... Cye closed the attic door with confusion. This was the direction he had felt Rowen leaving in, and there was nowhere else around that he'd have gone if something had happened. With a sigh he headed down the stairs to meet back up with the others.  
  
Well, actually to meet back up with Kento and Ryo. They had been unable to find Sage after the battle anywhere, and an uncomfortable feeling was starting to creep over Cye. /I had simply assumed that Rowen was the one in trouble. What if it was Sage, and Rowen had seen.../   
  
The missing piece clicked firmly into place. Rowen was usually so... together during a battle. But if something had happened to Sage... /He thinks he's been hiding his feelings for Sage so well. But his too-attentive looks whenever Sage walks by, the way that he creeps into almost every conversation we have... even the way he clams up when Sage is near. I'd wager the only people he's been fooling are Sage and himself.../  
  
If something had happened to the swordsman, that would definately explain the strength and confusion behind his message... /And if that's the case, I know exactly where to look./ Turning from the stairs, Cye took the back way down and quietly slipped out the mansion's rear entrance. /I'll check it out alone first.../  
  
  
  
It was a long, twisting path to get to the swordsman's usual practice ground in the woods that crept up to Mia's house. Finally getting there, though, there was no way that Cye could prepare for the scene that greeted him.  
  
Rowen was kneeling with his back to the grove's entrance, his helmet carelessly tossed to the side of the clearing and his slender frame wracked with harsh sobs. Sage was carefully laid before him, his head gently cradled in one of the archer's strong arms. The other had a death-like grip on Sage's sword, which he held over the fallen warrior's body. Sage's breastplate was dented horribly, smashed in almost beyond recognition. Bruises and dried blood covered his face, matting his golden hair. Whatever force had harmed him was formidable. And deadly. Surely no one could have survived it. Cye found himself fervently wishing he would never cross the source of that power.  
  
Faint, incoherent murmurs stumbled on a gentle breeze, back to where Cye was frozen in place by the almost sacred quality of the scene before him. /I wish there was something I could do.../ But an invisible power held him back, refusing to let him go comfort one friend or pay his respects to the other. /If only they'd had a chance together... I *wish* they'd had a chance together.../  
  
Night was quickly closing in on them. The forest was already dark, as the sun had long since vanished behind the thick trees. Nothing moved in the clearing-it seemed that the forest itself grieved for the loss of the one who used to practice so diligently within it. The only light was a faint blue glow that surrounded Rowen's armor and was gently reflected up by the sword he grasped so tightly.   
  
But wait... the sword's glow was not blue like the archer's light, but instead a pale white glimmer, running up and down the blade, dancing, mocking the seriousness of the mourning that surrounded it. Before Cye's astonished eyes, the pale glow began to spread and intensify, becoming a sheath of light surrounding the sword, its master, and the one who held it.  
  
The effect was magical, almost dream-like. If the archer noticed anything, though, he didn't show it. He remained in the same position, alternately stroking Sage's matted hair and muttering what were probably curses. The light spread some more, becoming a beacon in the night that nearly blinded Cye and effectively hid the grove from his view.  
  
  
  
Rowen knelt, beside himself with grief. /I killed you. *I* killed you.../ The thought was inescapable, an accusing beat within his mind. /I knew we could die. It's part of fighting. But not by my hand... and not now! And, oh gods... why Sage?/ Gradually, he became aware that he was stroking Sage's blood-matted hair. /If only I could bring him back.../   
  
He had never found the courage to do this before. Sage was so perfect... it was almost as if that fact had made touching him, even *thinking* of touching him, a crime and a sin. But so often, at night... /I thought about it, dreamed about this... what it would be like to touch his hair. To be near him! And now it's too late.../ Too late to ever find out if Sage had ever felt the same...  
  
/I was going to ask him, when the war finally ended. Stupid. If I had known it would end like this, then maybe... Maybe I would have.../ Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, threatening to overwhelm him. /Ah, gods... Please, *please*... if anything can help.../ A silent petition, a plea to all the powers in the universe emanated from his hunched over form. And he knelt and waited for an answer, eyes tightly shut in an attempt to stem the tears that now freely flowed. /Please help.../  
  
Maybe minutes, maybe hours, maybe days passed, before he was jolted from his reverie by the faint touch of a hand on his cheek, gently wiping away the outward signs of his grief. Rowen's cobalt eyes flew open, to gaze directly into Sage's blue-violet ones.   
  
In an instant, months and years of unspoken thoughts and desire passed between the two. Then their eyes closed again, as their lips met for the first time, and repressed love found its place in the patterns of their curious fingers and the rhythms of their dancing tongues.  
  
  
  
The light faded, releasing Cye from the spell he had been under. Before him in the clearing, two of his best friends were tangled together, oblivious to the world around them. He smiled and quietly stood, heading back for the house. /I'm glad everything worked out, even if I don't precisely know *how.* I'll have to ask them about it, someday./ A gently amused smile flickered across his lips for a moment. /But right now I think they'd rather be alone./  
  
  
Owari  
  
So what do y'all think? R+R, please? 


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